My Comments: As a financial planner focused on retirement, I counsel people about where the money is going to come from when they’re 85 and still have bills to pay. And 85 is simply a symbolic number. A critical source for most of us is Social Security. And it’s under attack by those we’ve elected …
Continue reading The Stark Reality of Social Security: Someone Has to Take a Pay Cut
My Comments: By now you’ll perhaps realize that whatever I say about what is likely to happen in the markets is wrong, and that you’d be better off doing just the opposite. That’s OK. And if you are young and retirement is a few decades away, it’s OK to ride it out. But if you’re …
Continue reading Behold the ‘scariest chart’ for the stock market
My Comments: Anyone now retired or thinking about retirement spends time and energy coming to terms with how to manage their money. Increasingly, fees charged by advisors and/or their companies are perceived as a threat somewhere along the way. However, unless you have the skills to do it all yourself, you are necessarily going to …
Continue reading 7 Myths About Variable Annuities: Exposing Their Dark Side
My Comments: Social Security benefit payments are critical for millions of Americans. When you apply and the amount of money you are entitled to is a decision fraught with uncertainty. Since none of know how our life is going to play out, all we can do is develop an understanding of our choices so that …
Continue reading 3 Myths About Your Social Security Filing Age
My Comments: Little is said these days about those who are investing for the future and are still working vs those investing for the future who are no longer working. Think of it as being defined as the accumulation phase of your life vs the distribution phase of your life. Different rules apply. Vanguard Funds …
Continue reading Vanguard’s Chairman Sees Muted Decade for Stocks After Long Rally
My Comments: I’ll admit to having done poorly as an investment advisor these past few years. My history was and has been shaped by our collective experience following what became known as Black Monday on October 10, 1987. On that day, we were glued to the radio or TV as the DOW dropped over 22% …
Continue reading The Bull Market Could Be Speeding Right Into a Brick Wall
My Comments: Anyone of you who has money invested or is dependent on cash flow from your investments to pay your bills needs to be concerned. What follows is a very good explanation for anyone who whose time horizon for retirement is less than 10 years. Uncertainty is the biggest driver of global pullbacks in …
My Comments: These are strange times. I'm having a hard time coming to terms with my beliefs and values as a human and the values and beliefs as expressed by others. Mine have evolved over the past 76 years and encompass everything that defines me as a member of society. I'm comfortable in my own …
My Comments: Those of us who live long enough to enter the final stages of our lives get to confront something that rarely happens to those not retired. I often refer to this as ‘becoming goofy’, though it’s not always a mental affliction. (My mother had Alzheimer's and needed constant attention for over nine years.) …
Continue reading The 1 Retirement Expense We’re Still Not Preparing For
My Comments: For millions of us, Social Security is a critical component and source of income as we attempt to flourish and enjoy our retirement. For those of you who decry the idea of ‘socialism’, I encourage you to attempt to finish your life without every cashing one of your monthly checks. Yes, you might …
Continue reading 7 Social Security “did you know” moments to consider
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